Modular animal cage system

ABSTRACT

Modular animal cage system including adaptable gravity sewage system with overall pressure flushing, individual adaptable water supply system, adjustable floor and perch, anti-insect strips, swivel feeding bowl, adjustable doors using hinge adaptor and lock adaptor, cleaning device, adjustable swivel drinking device with water cut-off, and safety spring lock.

United States Patent Sachs [451 May 16,1972

1541 MODULAR ANIMAL CAGE SYSTEM [72] Inventor: Sidney Sachs, 50 HobartRoad, Paramus,

[22] Filed: Nov. 18, 1969 [2]] Appl. No.: 877,809

[52] U.S.Cl ..119/18, 119/15, 119/22 [51] 1nt.Cl ....A0lk3l/04,A01k0l/O2[58] FieldofSearch ..119/16, 17,18,19,22,28, 119/63 [56] ReferencesCited UNITED STATES PATENTS 541,600 6/1895 Downey ..119/28 3,244,1474/1966 Kogeichi et al.... 19/18 3,292,582 12/1966 Rubricius ..119/173,177,848 4/1965 Rubricius; 19/17 3,278,248 10/1966 Torok ..312/3083,087,459 4/1963 Dirck ....1 19/19 X 3,456,618 7/1969 Barlow ..119/18Myers et a1. Daniel et a1...

3,429,297 2/1969 Schroer ..1 19/17 3,087,458 4/1963 Bennett, Jr. ..119/17 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Primary Examiner-Aldrich F.Medbery Attorney-Kenneth W. Dobyns [5 7] ABSTRACT Modular animal cagesystem including adaptable gravity sewage system with overall pressureflushing, individual adaptable water supply system, adjustable floor andperch, anti-insect strips, swivel feeding bowl, adjustable doors usinghinge adaptor and lock adaptor, cleaning device, adjustable swiveldrinking device with water cut-ofi, and safety spring lock.

13 Claims, 22 Drawing Figures SU PPLY P'A'TENTEDMAY I6 I972 SHEET 1 0F 8mvrzrwon SIDNEY SACHS Hus ATTORNEY P'A'TENT'EDm 16 m2 SHEET 2 [IF 8INVENTOR SIDNEY SACHS FIG: 21

I: s ATTORNEY PNENTEDMAY as am SHEET 3 BF 8 mvnmon SIDNEY SACHS IHSATTORNEY PATENTEMY we I972 SHEET 5 1F 8 mvarfion SIDNEY SACHS BY W M1 5ATTORNEY PKTENTEBIAY 16 m2 'sumsnra mvmwon SI DNEY SACHS III 3 ATTOR NBY PKTE'NTEUIM 16 m2 3.662.713

SHEET 7 0F 8 mvmnm SIDNEY SACHS BY M W ATTORNEY PATENTEDMAY 16 m2 SHEET8 OF 8 mvmmn SIDNEY SACHS ATTORNEY MODULAR ANIMAL CAGE SYSTEM BACKGROUNDOF THE INVENTION one side of a line of cages. This arrangement isundesirable in that it promotes the spread of waste-carried disease fromcage to cage, provides a constantly open path for the movement ofinsects from one cage to another, and makes the caged animalsuncomfortable because of the conflict between the instinctive habit ofmany animals to mark their territory" with urine and the constant odorof the urine of other animals in their cages.

The trough system also limits the lateral spread'of the cages becausethe trough must slope downward, requiring each cage to be lower than theadjacent upstream cage. There is a limit to the possible verticaldisplacement between adjacent cages. The trough system also prevents theuse of cages of different heights in adjacent stacks of cages. Thus, ifa pet store uses adjacent stacks of theprior art cages to keep hampstersand collies, the hampsters must occupy a cage large enough for collies.

The prior art systems must have all plumbing features permanently builtinto each module because of the inflexible mode of construction of theblocks of modules.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the-drainageproblems of the prior art devices by arranging for each cage box toslope downward toward onelow point-on'the floor of the cage, preferablytoward one side of the back of the floor; An orifice is located in eachbox at this low point; and a short pipe is connected to this orifice todrain the liquid waste from the box. A downward (vertical) drain pipe isconnected to the short pipe from each of the cages in a stack anddrains'each cage without allowing the liquid from any cage to passthrough any other cage. Each of the drain pipes is connected to a closedwaste disposal pipe located near floor level to dispose of the waste.Periodically, water under pressure is forced into one end of the wastedisposal pipe to force the liquid sewage into a sewage receiving means,which maybe the public sewers. This pressurized flushing promotesgreater cleanliness than is possible with an open trough.

An adjustable floor grating and an adjustable perch provide standingareas so that the animals need not stand on the bottom floor of thecage. The cages can be constructed of fiberglass or plastic, slopedinward toward the back so that the gratings can be held in by force fitand be easily removable. Such construction also allows greatercleanliness. The raised floor gratings allow specimen trays to be placedon the lower floor for research animals.

- The hinge-and-lock system for the cage doors is arranged to allow thefresh-water pipe system for drinkingwater and cagewashing water to passdown the front of a stack of cages without being built into the cagewalls and without passing through the cage doors. Independently openedswivel nozzles are used to direct the water for cage washing over thefloor of the cage.

The extruded posts used to hold the cage modules have recesses to hold aplastic extrusion which holds an anti-insect paste, thereby preventingthe spread of insects from one cage to another. The cage doors include aswivelling bowl holder to hold the food above the floor grating whileallowing the trays to be easily filled without opening the cage doors.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a cagesystem.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of a cage system;

FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a stack of cages.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a plumbingfeature of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a stack of cages.

FIG. 6 is a front, partially sectional, view of one cage.

FIG. 7' is Y a perspective view of a post extrusion for attachment to acage. Y

FIG. 8 is a front view of a larger segment of post extrusion.

FIG. 9 is a view of a segment of post extrusion with hinge and lockadapters.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view ofthe device of FIG. 9.

FIG. llis a viewv of the door lock.

FIG. 12 is a representation of the water supply system.

FIGS. 13 and 14 are front and top views of the'cage cleaning attachment.

FIG. 15 is a view of the drinking attachment. FIGS. 16 and 17 are viewsof the-.swivelfeedingbowl platform device.

, FIG. 18.is a top sectional view of a cage-box.

FIG. 19 is a partially broken' sectional side view of a cage box.

FIG. 20 is a view of a segment of a cage door. FIG. 21 is a view of aclamp for holding the fresh water supply pipe.

' FIG. 22 is a view of the drain-pipe support.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa block of cages according to the present invention. The. block of cagesincludes three adjacent stacks of cages. Cages 1 and 2.are arranged toform one of the three stacks. Each cage is an integral unit, which maybe of fiberglass or plastic construction. In the front, each of cages 1and 2.is fixed in place by attachment to extruded aluminum posts 3 and4, which are shown in greater detail in other figures. In the rear, woodor-molded plastic strips 5, 6, 7, and 8 are arranged to hold the cagesin' theircorrectposition. Strip 5, for example, is bonded to the bottomrear of cage land strip 6 is bonded to the top' rear of cage2.Interlocking channels on strips 5 and 6 align and separate the cageboxes.

Cage11 includes external bulges (or internal indentations) 9 and 10 tohold the adjustable fioor grating, and bulges or indentations) l1 and 12to hold the adjustable-perch grating. The door 13 of cage 1 can beconstructed in one piece of cast aluminum, plastic or other metal. Aswivel lock feeding bowl 14 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 16, 17and18.

Hinge pins 15 and 16 arev constructed as part of door 13 and are made toreceive the hinge adapter as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10. The lockingdevice 17 for the door is illustrated in FIGS. 9, 10 and 11. A frontbase panel 18 improves the appearance of the block of cages.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the three stacks of cages shown in FIG. 1.Three stacks of cages 19, 20 and 21 are shown. The height of the cagesvaries. In'the illustratedembodiment, two cages in stack 19 haveapproximately the same total heightas three cages in either stack 20 orstack 21. However, the illustrated cage height is shown only for purposeof illustration, it being one of the advantages of this invention that awide variety of cage heights is possible.

The rear of cage box 22 illustrates the slope of the box floor downwardto one side at a point where a drain connection 23 is made. The othercage boxes have similarly sloping bottoms.

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the cages of FIG. 2 taken alongline A-A', with the doors removed for clarity of illustration. Thebottom of cage box 22 illustrates the slopeof the box floor downward tothe rear at a point where the drain connection 23 is made. An orifice 25is formed in the fiberglass material of the cage box and connects intothe drain connection in a manner more completely illustrated in FIG. 4.Drain connection 23 feeds into a downwardly directed drain pipe segment28. All of the drain connections can be made of readily available PVC(poly-vinyl chloride) pipes and fittings, which can be either forcefitting or screw fitting connections.

Drain pipe 28 fits into a second drain connection 30, which fits into asecond drain pipe segment 32. Segment 32 fits into a third drainconnection 34, which fits into a short pipe segment 36. Pipe segment 36fits into fittings of a lower pipe 38, shown in cross section in FIG. 3.A bracket 40 supports the lower pipe 38.

In FIG. 2, lower pipe 38 is adapted to be periodically washed clean byforcing water in at end 41 to wash the sewage out of pipe 38 into asewage receiving means (e.g. the public sewers) through end 42. Notethat all of the pipe segments specified can be of modular length.

Although FIGS. 2 and 3 show all cages of the same depth, the cage systemis easily adapted to the use of cages of different depths. Basically,all that is required to adapt the system to cages of different depths isthat the connecting pipefrom orifice 25 to drain connection 23 be madeof a suitable length to compensate for the different depths of thecages.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the pipe system connectingan orifice 25a to the drain connection 30 through a connecting pipe 50.Drain pipe 28 fits into drain connection 30, being stopped by stopprojections 52 and 54.

FIG. is an end view of the same cage stack shown in FIG. 3. Indentations(or bulges) 60 and 62 in box 22 are adapted to hold a forced-in gratingwhich serves as a perch for the animals. In practice, only one perch isused at one time and is adjustable between heights. The cage box isslightly narrower in the rear than in the front, to thereby hold theperch in place by force-fit. In FIG. 3 is shown the perch 64 fitted intobulge 62.

In FIG. 5 are also shown two lower bulges 66 and 68 in box 22 which areadapted to hold a floor grating by force-fit. The grating is adjustablein height in that it can be placed in either of the bulges 66 and 68. InFIG. 3 is shown the floor grating 70 fitted into bulge 68.

A PVC water supply pipe 72 runs across the top of the cages and supplieswater to the cages through a vertical PVC pipe 74. A cutoff valve 76 inpipe 74 allows the water in pipe 74 to be cut off when desired. Pipe 74is connected to a drinking water outlet 78, more fully illustrated inFIG. 15, which may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,939,424.The water is used only when the drinking device is touched by theanimal.

Pipe 74 is also connected to a cleaning device 80, more fullyillustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. The cleaning device is connected to thewater supply system by a flexible hose and has a pressure spray nozzlewith a cutoff valve in each nozzle. The cleaning device is locatedbetween the grating and the bottom of the cage, and is used to wash outthe bottom of the cage.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a single cage and illustrates the slope of thefloor backward and to one side to orifice 25. It also illustrates theflange all around the front of the box.

FIG. 7 illustrates a segment 84 of the aluminum post extrusion whichserves to connect and support the individual boxes into a completesystem. A side flange 86 of a box fits into an opening between a flange88 of the extrusion and the main cross piece 90 of the extrusion. Aself-tapping screw 92 fits through a predrilled hole 94 into the flange86 to hold the cage box in place. As illustrated in FIG. 8, holes suchas hole 94 are predrilled about every cm. along the length of theextrusion to enable the cage boxes to be readily assembled in anydesired arrangement.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the construction of the postextrusion to accept a lock adapter 96 on one side and a hinge adapter 98on the other side. Both of these adapters are adjustable in position andcan be locked by tightening thumb screws 100 and 102, which arerespectively attached to nuts I04 and 106. The nuts fit tightly into theextrusion opening to prevent their turning. The adapters can beconstructed of aluminum or of plastic. The hinge adapter includes a hole108 which holds the hinge pins of the cast aluminum cage doors. FIG. 10is a top view of the post and adapter combination shown in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 10, a plastic insert 110 in the post extrusion is adapted tohold an anti-insect paste. The plastic insert is force fitted into thepost and is easily removable for cleaning. The paste prevents insectsfrom passing over the post extrusion from one cage to another.

The lock adapter 96 serves two purposes. First, it holds the verticalwater supply pipe 74 in place in a sturdy locked position against thefront of the cage, as shown in FIG. 10, thereby allowing the waterdrinking attachment 78 and the cage cleaning attachment 80 to assumetheir places inside the cage without passing through either the wall ofthe cage box or the cage door.

Second, it accepts the door slide bolt 114 in a groove I16, therebyholding the door in a closed position, as illustrated in FIG. 11. Theslide bolt 114 is constructed as an integral part of the cast aluminumdoor and operates under pressure from a spring, which pushes the lockinto a secure locked position. A hole is provided through the bolt toaccept a padlock, thereby positively locking the door. The bolt may beconstructed of plastic or metal.

FIG. I2 is a view of a segment of the water supply system including theupper water supply pipe 72, a vertical water supply pipe 74, a drinkingwater attachment 78 and a'cage cleaning attachment 80. A phantom viewshows a post extrusion 122 along another of the vertical water supplypipes 124. FIGS. 13 and 14 are respectively front and top views of thecage cleaning nozzle including a cutoff valve 128. FIG. 15 is a view ofa drinking water attachment including a quick release mechanism of awell-known type and a swivel mechanism 132, also well known.

FIG. 16 is a view of a swivel-lock feeding bowl system in a lower corner(the lower right corner as illustrated) of the door. A swivel feedingbowl platform 134 is permanently mounted on a hinge pin 136 in anopening in the door. A tab 138 on the door engages a slot 140 on theswivel platform (see FIG. 17) to hold the platform inside the cageunless the platform is lifted slightly to release it for opening. Acorresponding slot 140 on the other side of the platform can hold itopen.

FIG. 18 is a cutaway top view of the cage showing the swivel platformI34 inside the cage in a real view and swiveled outside the cage in aphantom view. When it is outside the cage, food can be placed in thebowls of the feeding bowl platform, and when the platform is swiveledin, the food can be reached by the animals. This figure also illustratesthe arrangement of drinking attachment 78 and cleaning attachment 80.

FIG. 19 is a broken sectional view of one cage box with attachments. Ahorizontal molding strip 142 is used to align the fronts of verticallyadjacent cages and to carry a plastic strip 144 for further anti-insectpaste. A plastic ridge 146 can be bonded to the bottom front of the cagebox to prevent splashing liquids from coming out of the cage. A specimentray (not illustrated) can be placed on the floor of the cage forscientific analysis.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a segment of the cage door, illustratingthat it is preferably of cast one-piece construction. FIG. 21 is anenlarged view of the top of a cage, showing a bracket 147 holding thewater supply pipe 72 in place at the top of the cage. FIG. 22 is anenlarged view of a bracket 40 for supporting the lower drain pipe 38.

Throughout the specification, where plastic, fiberglass, aluminum orother metal is specified for construction of components of theinvention, they are specified for illustration only, as a wide varietyof materials can be substituted or interchanged to make the inventedassembly. Reinforced polyester resin can be used where plastic isspecified.

I claim:

1. An animal cage assembly comprising:

A. a plurality of integrally constructed separate boxes, each box havinga front end and a back end and being open on the front end and having afloor so constructed that, when the box is situated in a horizontalposition, the floor slopes downward toward one low point of said floor,

B. means for firmly stacking one of said boxes on top of another of saidboxes, each said box being in a horizontal position,

C. an orifice through each of said boxes from the inside of each of saidboxes to theoutside of the boxes and located adjacent to said one lowpoint,

D. a downwardly directed drain pipe located outside the stacked boxesand at one end thereof,

E. orifice connecting means located outside said boxes for connectingeach of said orifices to said drain pipe to cause liquid matter from thefloor of each of said boxes to flow through the orifice in that box intosaid drain pipe,

F. an additional stack of said boxes having an additional downwardlydirected drain pipe comprising means for draining liquid matter fromadditional orifices in said additional stack of boxes to the lower endof said additional drain pipe, and

G. waste disposal means for receiving said liquid matter from lower endsof both said drain pipes, said disposal means including means to aiddraining of said liquid from both said drain pipes.

2. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein said downwardlydirected drain pipe and said additional downwardly directed drain pipeare constructedof modular pipe segments fitted together, each of saidsegments being of a height predetermined according to the height of theboxes in the respectively corresponding stack of boxes.

3. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein said wastedisposal means comprises:

a. a lower pipe for carrying said liquid arranged to slope downwardtoward a sewage receiving means and connected at the lower end to emptysaid liquid into said sewage receiving means,

b. means for connecting each of said drain pipes to said lower pipe totransfer said liquid from said drain pipes to said lower pipe, and

c. means for forcing additional liquid into an upper end of said lowerpipe to flush said lower pipe into said sewage receiving means.

4. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1, wherein the floor ofeach of said boxes slopes toward one side of the back end of the box andwherein said orifice is located at said one side ofthe back end.

5. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 wherein a. each of saidboxes slopes inward toward the rear of the box,

b. each box having indentations in the side of the box, and

c. having gratings adapted to be inserted into each box in selected onesof said indentations to serve as standing areas for said animal, saidgratings being held in place by being wedged into said sloping box.

6. An animal cage assembly comprising:

A. a plurality of modular cage boxes, each box having a flange on eachside,

B. support means for holding said cage boxes in a stacked arrangementboth in front and in back, the support means for the front comprising apair of post extrusions, one of which is situated on each side of thestacked arrangement of cage boxes, each extrusion having a flangearranged to adjustably interfit with the flanges of said cage boxes,said support means further comprising means to fixedly interfit saidflange of each extrusion with one of said flanges of said cage boxes tohold the cage boxes vertically in place in the front,

C. lock adapters and hinge adapters, each of said adapters includingmeans for adjustably fitting said adapters onto said post extrusions,and i D. a plurality of doors, each of said doors comprising means forholding the door in place in front'of respective cage boxes byattachment to respective ones of said lock adapters and said hingeadapters,

whereby the doors and the fronts of the cage boxes are supportedindependently by said post extrusions, said doors being supported bysaid adapters attached to the post extrusions.

7. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein at least some ofthe adapters which hold said doors have a recess on the back sidethereof between the door and the post extrusion, and wherein a pipesystem for supplying fresh water to the cages includes a vertical supplypipe running down said stack of cages in a direction substantiallyparallel to said post extrusion and behind said recess.

8. An animal cage assembly according to claim 7 wherein said verticalsupply pipe supplies water to a drinking system and a cleaning systeminside each cage box.

9. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of saiddoors includes a spring-biased slide bolt adapted, when said door isclosed, to fit into a groove in said lock adapter.

10. An animal cage assembly according to claim 9 wherein said slide boltincludes a hole adapted to accept a padlock, whereby said bolt ispositively locked closed.

11. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of saidpost extrusions has a recess adapted to contain an anti-insect material.

12. An animal cage assembly according to claim 9 further comprising anadditional means located between vertically adjacent cages for carryingan anti-insect material.

13. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6 wherein one of saiddoors includes the improvement comprising:

A. a feeding bowl means mounted at one end thereof to swivel selectivelyto one side of said door and to the other side of said door, and

B. a catch to hold said bowl means in at least one selected position.

Patent No. 3 ,662 713 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OFCORREQTION Dated May 16 1972 Inventor(s) Sidney Sachs It is certifiedthat error afpears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the address of the inventor, delete "50 Hobart Road" and insert -540Hobart Road--.

si ned and sealed this 17th day of October 1972.

- (SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer Commissionerof Patents USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 u.s GOVERNMENT PRlNTING OFFICE: 1969O-366334 FORM FO-1050 (10-69)

1. An animal cage assembly comprising: A. a plurality of integrallyconstructed separate boxes, each box having a front end and a back endand being open on the front end and having a floor so constructed that,when the box is situated in a horizontal position, the floor slopesdownward toward one low point of said floor, B. means for firmlystacking one of said boxes on top of another of said boxes, each saidbox being in a horizontal position, C. an orifice through each of saidboxes from the inside of each of said boxes to the outside of the boxesand located adjacent to said one low point, D. a downwardly directeddrain pipe located outside the stacked boxes and at one end thereof, E.orifice connecting means located outside said boxes for connecting eachof said orifices to said drain pipe to cause liquid matter from thefloor of each of said boxes to flow through the orifice in that box intosaid drain pipe, F. an additional stack of said boxes having anadditional downwardly directed drain pipe comprising means for drainingliquid matter from additional orifices in said additional stack of boxesto the lower end of said additional drain pipe, and G. waste disposalmeans for receiving said liquid matter from lower ends of both saiddrain pipes, said disposal means including means to aid draining of saidliquid from both said drain pipes.
 2. An animal cage assembly accordingto claim 1 wherein said downwardly directed drain pipe and saidadditional downwardly directed drain pipe are constructed of modularpipe segments fitted together, each of said segments being of a heightpredetermined according to the height of the boxes in the respectivelycorresponding stack of boxes.
 3. An animal cage assembly according toclaim 1 wherein said waste disposal means comprises: a. a lower pipe forcarrying said liquid arranged to slope downward toward a sewagereceiving means and connected at the lower end to empty said liquid intosaid sewage receiving means, b. means for connecting each of said drainpipes to said lower pipe to transfer said liquid from said drain pipesto said lower pipe, and c. means for forcing additional liquid into anupper end of said lower pipe to flush said lower pipe into said sewagereceiving means.
 4. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1,wherein the floor of each of said boxes slopes toward one side of theback end of the box and wherein said orifice is located at said one sideof the back end.
 5. An animal cage assembly according to claim 1 whereina. each of said boxes slopes inward toward the rear of the box, b. eachbox having indentations in the side of the box, and c. having gratingsadapted to be inserted into each box in selected ones of saidindentations to serve as standing areas for said animal, said gratingsbeing held in place by being wedged into said sloping box.
 6. An animalcage assembly comprising: A. a plurality of modular cage boxes, each boxhaving a flange on each side, B. support means for holding said cageboxes in a stacked arrangement both in front and in back, the supportmeans for the front comprising a pair of post extrusions, one of whichis situated on each side of the stacked arrangement of cage boxes, eachextrusion having a flange arranged to adjustably interfit with theflanges of said cage boxes, said support means further comprising meansto fixedly interfit said flange of each extrusion with one of saidflanges of said cage boxes to hold the cage boxes vertically in place inthe front, C. lock adapters and hinge adapters, each of said adaptersincluding means for adjustably fitting said adapters onto said postextrusions, and D. a plurality of doors, each of said doors comprisingmeans for holding the door in place in front of respective cage boxes byattachment to respective ones of said lock adapters and said hingeadapters, whereby the doors and the fronts of the cage boxes aresupported independently by said post extrusions, said doors beingsupported by said adapters attached to the post extrusions.
 7. An animalcage assembly according to claim 6 wherein at least some of the adapterswhich hold said doors have a recess on the back side thereof between thedoor and the post extrusion, and wherein a pipe system for supplyingfresh water to the cages includes a vertical supply pipe running downsaid stack of cages in a direction substantially parallel to said postextrusion and behind said recess.
 8. An animal cage assembly accordingto claim 7 wherein said vertical supply pipe supplies water to adrinking system and a cleaning system inside each cage box.
 9. An animalcage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of said doors includes aspring-biased slide bolt adapted, when said door is closed, to fit intoa groove in said lock adapter.
 10. An animal cage assembly according toclaim 9 wherein said slide bolt includes a hole adapted to accept apadlock, whereby said bolt is positively locked closed.
 11. An animalcage assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of said post extrusionshas a recess adapted to contain an anti-insect material.
 12. An animalcage assembly according to claim 9 further comprising an additionalmeans located between vertically adjacent cages for carrying ananti-insect material.
 13. An animal cage assembly according to claim 6wherein one of said doors includes the improvement comprising: A. afeeding bowl means mounted at one end thereof to swivel selectively toone side of said door and to the other side of said door, and B. a catchto hold said bowl means in at least one selected position.